When Ruby McCoy arrives in Fairplay, her ornate carriage is followed by an entourage who heft steamer trunks, hatboxes, and traveling bags into the hotel…where she has booked the entire second floor. Upon her notorious gangster father's death, the now-wealthy Ruby, hiding under her mother's maiden name, set out to right her father's wrongs. Ruby is determined to spend every penny of her inherited "blood money" on those who paid the price for her father's crimes.

Sheriff Rex Truett doesn't trust Ruby and doesn't care who knows it. The keeper of Fairplay's law and order makes it his business to find out why a stranger, especially a beautiful, spoiled, rich, female stranger, would set up businesses, donate to schools, hire workmen to rebuild houses, and provide access to the best medical care. But when a typhoid epidemic sweeps through the city, he is forced to reconsider.

Will Rex blame Ruby for her father's sins? Or will he accept the possibility that she is trying to create and feel the peace her father stole?

“Healing of the Heart, book three of Secrets on Sterling Street, makes for a brilliant conclusion to the series. Lough’s descriptive narrative and delightful, often comical, dialogue pull us into the story. Sparks fly between Rex, the hard-shelled sheriff, and Ruby, the gutsy, gorgeous heroine. This fast-paced, absorbing read will have you flipping those pages into the wee morning hours. Don’t miss it!”

—Sharlene MacLaren

Author, Tennessee Dreams series and Summer on Sunset Ridge

“Loree Lough has once again brought the emotional intensity and passion of the West to life in her riveting historical romance, Healing of the Heart. With themes of forgiveness, righting wrongs done by others, and love that can wipe away the sins the past, this book explores all of that in the midst of the fierce and deadly beauty of Colorado in in the late 1800s. A story to treasure more than once.”

“Loree Lough does it again with Healing of the Heart. Another moving and uplifting story with characters so real they feel like family, a plot that keeps you turning pages, and a setting so quaint it makes you want to move to Fairplay, Colorado.”

—Joya Fields

Award-winning author, Beneath the Surface

“This just might be my favorite story by Loree Lough. Her characters, driven by noble motives, endure hardships that can’t crush their budding emotions. Healing of the Heart is romance, faith, and mystery in one page-turning story.”

—Robin Bayne

Author, The Gardner’s Gazebo series

Guest Post:

Five Ways to Love Your Enemy:

THINK about him. Reject any anger that might surface. Don’t focus on the words or deeds that created the gap between you. Close your eyes and chant “I’m bigger than this. I’m better than this. Holding on to these memories is only hurting me.” In Healing of the Heart, Ruby McCoy is having a tough time with this. Her father was a murdering outlaw. The shame of his crimes—and what they forced her to do—has impacted every area of her life, so really, who can blame her!

PRETEND you are your enemy. Now that you’re calmer, take the age-old advice and put yourself in his shoes. What happened in his past that might have inspired him to hurt you? This is a tough one but, was there anything you could have done or said differently to prevent the rift? In Ruby’s case, this won’t be easy. Making restitution to people her father’s crimes effected requires secrecy, duplicity, and on occasion, outright lies…which deepens her resentment of him. Try as she might, Ruby can’t come up with a rational justification for his actions!

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? I know, I know…corny. But it’s really effective. Looking at the situation through His eyes will go a long way to helping you understand why the rift has become so central to your life. If Ruby is ever to know peace, and true freedom from bitterness, she must stop judging her father and simply forgive him.

DEAL WITH IT. You’re right. That’s nearly impossible! Sometimes, the heart wound is so deep, you just can’t get past it. Okay. That’s human. But think about how it makes you feel: Sad. Angry. Resentful. And the feelings bleed into every area of life, infecting every happy moment with cynicism. Not pleasant, is it. So look for things to focus on that you’re your life enjoyable: Friends and family. Pets. A craft project. An upcoming vacation. Then, every time the rift comes to mind, dwell instead on one of those blessings. In Ruby’s case, she needs to think more often of the good things her father did…reading stories at bedtime, teaching her to fish, singing as they walked the trails behind their house…

GET IN TOUCH. When you stop saying “Is she crazy? No way!”, be honest with yourself… Once upon a time, you cared deeply for your enemy. If you hadn’t, the hurt wouldn’t be so deep and long-lasting, now would it. Why did you love him? Ask yourself another question: What’s stopping you from getting in touch? Time really does have a way of softening the sharp edges of pain, so who knows? He might feel such relief at the sound of your voice that he’ll go along with you “What’s past is past” attitude! Worst case scenario, he’ll hang up. Maybe he’ll say something hurtful before he does. But that, believe it or not, is a gift in and of itself…from him to you: He has handed you proof that he doesn’t belong in your life or in your heart. And now, you’re free to move forward, chanting “I’m bigger than this. I’m better than this. Holding on to these memories is only hurting me.” And now, you’ll mean it! Poor Ruby will never have that satisfaction, because her outlaw father was captured, tried and convicted, and hanged for his crimes...

— Loree

Currency of the Heart

(Secrets on Sterling Street, #1)

by Loree Lough

Historical Romance

Paperback & ebook, 256 pages

January 1st 2015 by Whitaker House

Young widow Shaina Sterling hates living a lie. Desperate to keep bill collectors from the door, she secretly sells valuable possessions piece by piece, and hopes Denver’s elite never discover that his lavish lifestyle left her a near pauper.

She’s unaware that as her husband lay dying, successful rancher Sloan Remington made him a promise. And Sloan guards her secrets

as carefully as he looks after her safety.

When fire devours Sterling Hall, leaving her homeless and penniless, he brings her to Remington Ranch to manage his household. His kindness makes Shaina beholden to him … and threatens to expose the secret that could destroy him.

Will trials and tragedies bring Sloan and Shaina together?

Or will secrets—and the cost of exposing them—drive them apart forever?

Nell Holstrom wanted no part of her grandfather's barren gold mine that had taken the lives of her mother, father, and younger brother; even if there may still be hidden wealth inside. Instead, she went to Denver and took a job as housekeeper at the old Stone Hill Inn.

Asa Stone was barely more than a boy when his father dragged him and his brothers to fight with Colonel John Chivington. But Asa refused to participate in the raid on the peaceful Cheyenne and Arapahoe; and when the smoke cleared, his father and brother lay among the slaughtered. Besieged by guilt, Asa wandered the West for years before returning to Denver to rebuild the old inn he'd inherited.

Together, Nell and Asa work hard to restore Stone Hill. But when disaster hits the inn, Asa retreats into despair and Nell is forced to return to her family's mine. Asa faces the hard fact: He'll never be the man Nell deserves. Can he overcome the dark secrets of his past? And will Nell still love him when she learns the truth?

An oft-invited guest of writers' organizations, colleges and universities, corporate and government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, Loree loves sharing learned-the-hard-way lessons about the craft and the industry.

Once upon a time, Loree (literally) sang for her supper, performing alone and "opening" for the likes of Tom Jones, Dottie West, The Gatlin Brothers, and more. Though she refuses to share the actual year when she traded her Yamaha 6-string for a wedding ring, she IS willing to admit that, every now and then, she blows the dust off her six-string to croon a tune or two. But mostly, she just writes (and writes).

Loree and her husband split their time between a home in the Baltimore suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where she continues to hone her "identify the critter tracks" skills. Her favorite passtime? Spending long, leisurely hours with her grandchildren...all seven of them!

She loves hearing from her readers, and answers every letter, personally. You can write her @ http://www.loreelough.com.

2 winners will win a print copy of HEALING OF THE HEART (US only)2 winners will win a Kindle/Nook copy of HEALING OF THE HEART (open internationally)1 winner will win a $20 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)